Home / Chlorophyceae / Filamentous / Unbranched / Radiofilum
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Name derivation:
Classification:
Radiofilum Schmidle 1894; 3 of 10 species descriptions are currently accepted taxonomically (Guiry and Guiry 2013). Order Chlamydomonadales; Family Sphaeropleaceae
Morphology:
Pseudofilamentous thallus with a uniseriate unbranched row of cells embedded in a distinct wide mucilaginous sheath. Filaments short and firm or long and flexible. Breakage of the cell row can lead to false branching or bi- to multi-seriate cell rows. Transverse walls are not in contact but rather separated by mucilaginous strands. Cell wall is bipartite in the form of two dish-like hemispherical elements giving rise to a speckfic cell division pattern in which each daughter cell receives half of the parental wall. Cells are spherical to spindle-shaped. Chloroplasts are single (rarely double), parietal, laminate or cup-shaped with one or two pyrenoids (Guiry and Guiry 2013).
Similar genera:
Habitat:
Freshwater ponds and lakes
References:
Guiry, M.D. and G.M. Guiry 2013. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. http://www.algaebase.org; searched on 17 May 2013. Schmidle, W. 1894. Aus der Chlorophyceenflora der Torfstiche zu Viernheim. Flora 78: 42-66.